Flash-absorber attachment for machine-guns.



H. R. NORTHOVER.

,FLASH ABSORBER ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINE GUNS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-7.1916.

1,242,843. Pat e nted Oct. 9,1917.

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WITNESSES INVENTORJZQwgLR. IZQ rZ/ZOveJ" f lzornepl H. R. NORTHOVER. FLASH ABSORBER ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINE a'uNs.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-7,1916.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

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WITNESSES mvENToRzfl RJ arz/zowr HARRY ROBERT NOBTHOVER, OF WINNEEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

FLASH-ABSORBER ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINE-GUNS.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Bonner Nomovnn, gunsmith, subject of the King nue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flash-Absorber Attachments for Machine-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to devices (technically known as flash-absorbers) which are designed to be attached to the barrel. of a machine-gun for the purpose of' obscuring or screening the" flash of discharge, and thereby rendering it diflicult or impossible for an enemy to detect or ascertain the position of a gun by observing the locality in which the flash appears.

"The said invention consists in an improved flash-absorbing device, as hereinafter described; which, when attached to the muzzle of a machine-gun barrel, 'not only functions effectively as a means for screening or concealing the flash or flame of discharge, but also serves to substantially.

automatic mechanism. A machine-gun attachment constructed in accordance with this invention comprises or embodies three intercomihunicating chambers, one of which is in direct communication with, and is practically an extension of, the muzzle end of a gun-barrel and is so constructed or fitted internally that it permits of the, passage of the bullets there- 'through but deflects. or diverts the gases from the said barrel downwardly mto a second .or intermediate and much larger chamber which serves as an xpan sion .chamber and wherein the combustion of the unbnrnt ases occurs or is completed.

The products such combustion'then pass into a third or outer chamber which is formed witha system of gas-vents wherethrough thesaid products are expelled into the atmosphere',.and also with a system of I air-inlet holes that provide for the admis- Specification of Letters Patent.

. of" Great Britain, residing at 217 Graham ave- Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

'5 Application filed September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,807.

sion or circulation of airinto or through the appliance; the said gas-vents and alrinlet holes in this last chamber being so'disposed as to reduce to an absolute minimum the possibllity of the flash, flame or glare created by the firing of the gun, or by the burning of the powder gases within the at-' tachment, being externally visible at any distance from the front of the gun when the latter is in action.

Figure 1, of the accompanying drawing represents a side elevation of a gun attachment constructed in accordance with the said invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical section, while Figs. 4 and 5 are, res ectively, a transverse vertical section on hne X, Fig. 3, and front end elevations of the device.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the construction represented in the said figures, a is the gas-deflecting chamber, 6 is the second or intermediate chamber, and c is the third or outer chamber; the whole of these chambers or compartments being in communication with one another, as hereinafter described.

The gas-deflecting chamber 0., consists of a cylinder or tube of suitable length and diameter whose axis (when the attachment is.

fixed to the muzzle of the gun) is in alinement with the bore of the barrel. The underside of the middle portion of this cylinder is formed with a series of relatively large gaps or apertures at a a, a all leading into the expansion chamber 6 while its cylindrical front part a has no such gap, and is adapted to serve as a ark-ar'rester. The interior of this cylinder 1s divided or partitioned ofi' into a succession of compartments by means of deflector plates a, a", a, which are fixed at a forwardly-sloping inclination (for instance, at an angle of degrees relative to the axis) and are each pierced with a central hole a that coincides 'or registers with the muzzle of the barrel and with a hole in the forward end a of the chamber to provide for the passage of the bullets through the saidchamber. One of these inclined deflector plates is disposed immediately in front of each of the bottom apertures of the cylinder as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that said plates serve to dlrect also fitted with one or more similar plates a whose function is to intercept and arrest sparks or incandescent particles that may pass the plates (1 a, a and so prevent the escape of such sparks or particles into the atmosphere through the hole a at the forward end of the chamber.

Preferablythe central holes or openings in the inclined plates are successively decreased in diameter from rear to front of the chamber so that while the plate nearest the muzzle has the largest gas-clearance and offers the minimum resistance to the forward travel of the gases, the next plate, having a smaller clearance, offers a correspondingly increased resistance, and so on; the result being that an approximately equal proportion of gas is passed through each of the apertures into the expansion chamber. For the same purpose, the apertures themselves may also be of different relative areas, in which case, the aperture nearest the muzzle .may be the largest, while the others diminish in size as they approach the front end of the deflecting chamber.

Additional andsmaller holes or iercings a may also be made in the side an bottom walls of the deflecting chamber to facilitate the passage of gases into the expansion chamber.

The expansion chamber 7) consists of another cylinder, of the same length as the deflecting chamber but much larger in diameter. It is closed at both ends and entirelyder is clear or unobstructed so as to permit the free or unimpeded expansion of the gases therein, while its bottom walls are pierced with a number of holes or perforations b Wherethrough the combustion products resulting from the burning of the gases (whether in the gun-barrel or within thesaid cylinder) pass freely into the third.

compartment 0 of the attachment.

This third chamber 0 preferably has a semi-cylindrical shape and is fixed in concentric relation to the bottom half of the expansion chamber, where it incloses or covers the whole of the perforations b in the latter and thus externally screens or hides the flash or glare arising from the burning of the gases inside the other chambers, while the vents or outlets for the final escape of the combustion products into the atmosphere are formed at c in the rear end of this screening chamber,'and also (if necessary) at 0 along the flat or "horizontallypositioned webs or flanges 0 whereby the upper edges of the said screening chamber are connectedto the opposite side walls of the expansion cylinder; this disposition of the vents providing a free escape ofthe said gases while obviating any possibility of even reflected light from the internal burning of the gases being visible from the front of the gun.

To provide for a. back air-current into and through the attachment for assisting or insuring the complete combustion of gases within its interior, the front end 0 of the screening chamber is pierced with a system of. minute holes 0 whose aggregate area is suflicient to admit all the air that is required but which individually are so small that internal flash cannot be seen therethrough.

For fixing or anchoring the attachment to the muzzle of a gun barrel, the rear end of the deflecting chamber may be combined with a split sleeve or adapter clip d which is adapted to be passed over the said barrel and contracted thereon by a clamping screw d or the like. Further, to prevent longitudinal displacement, this clip may be provided with grip or pinion screws (1 that bind onto the barrel; or it maybe furnished with one or more pins or screws, whose point or points may be engaged with depressions or recesses in the barrel when the attachment is in position, while the said sleeve may also carry a hooked or forked anchoringextension piece, the hook or fork of which may, by a partial rotary move ment of the appliance relative to the barrel, be engaged over or behind the fore-sight of the gun. Any other suitable construction formed, I declare that what I claim is 1. A combined flash-absorber and silencer for guns, comprising a tubular gas-deflecting chamber adapted to fit at its rear end upon a gun barrel in axial alinement there with and having the under side of its middle portion formed with a longitudinal series of gap'; a series of deflector plates, one for eac gap, fixed withinsa'id chamber and ex tending forwardly and .downwardly from the upper side of the chamber directly to the forward edges of the gaps, said plates being provided with central openings alining axially with one another and with the bore of the gunbarrel to permit the bullet to travel therethrough; and a cylindrical expansion chamber, into the body of which the gases are deflected directly downward 13c through said gaps by said plates, eccentrically encircling the deflecting chamber and so arranged with respect thereto that substantially its entire .body portion is located below the axis of said deflecting chamber, said expansion chamber being closed at opposite ends.

2. A combined flash-absorber and silencer for guns, comprising a tubular gas-deflecting" chamber adapted to fit at its rear'end upon a gun barrel in axial alinement therewith and having the underside of its middle portion formed with a longitudinal, series of' gaps; a series of forwardly-inclined deflector plates fixed within said chamber, one

at the front edge of each gap, said plates for guns, comprising a tubular gas-deflect ing chamber adapted to fit at its rear end upon a un barrel in axial alinement therewith and having the underside of its middle portion formed with a longitudinal series of gaps; a series of forwardly-inclined deflector lates fixed within said chamber, one at the rent edge of each gap, said plates being provided with central openings alining axially with one another and with the bore of the gun barrel to permit the bullet to travel therethrough; a cylindrical expansion chamber encircling the deflecting chamber and into which the gases are deflected through said pansion cham er being closed at opposite ends and having its bottom wall formed with perforations through which said gases pass; and a chamber inclosing the perforated portion of the bottom wall of said expansion chamber and having its front wall provided with air inlets and its rear Wall with gas outlets.

4. A combined flash-absorber and silencer upon a gun barrel in axial alinement there- I aps by said plates, said exwith and having the under side of its middle portion formed with a longitudinal series of gaps; a series of deflector plates, one for each gap, fixed within said chamber and extending forwardly and downwardly from the upper side of the chamber directly to the forward edges of the gaps, said plates being provided with central openings alining axially with one another and with the bore of the gun barrel to permit the bullet to travel therethrough, the portion of the chamber in advance of the foremost gap being closed at its front end to constitute a spark-arrester and bein formed with a central opening alining with the bore of said barrel; a forwardly and downwardly inclined deflector plate disposed within said spark-arresfier and extending from top to bottom thereof to arrest and intercept sparks or incandescent particles which may have passed the firstnamed deflector plates, the spark-arresting deflector plate having a central opening which alines with the openings in said firstnamed plates; and a cylindrical expansion chamber, into the body of which the gases are deflected directly downward through said gaps by said first-named lates, eccentrical ly encircling the deflecting chamber and so arranged with respect thereto that substantially its entire body portion is located below the axis of said deflecting chamher, said expansion chamber being closed at opposite ends.

5. A combined flash-absorber and silencer for guns, comprising a tubular gas-deflecting chamber adapted to fit at its rear end upon a gun barrel in axial alinement therewith and having the under side of its middle portion formed with a longitudinal series of gaps; a cylindrical expansion chamber encircling the deflecting chamber and into which the gases are deflected from the latter by way of said gaps, said expansion chamber being closed at o posite ends and having its bottom wall formed with perforations through which said gases pass; and a chamber inclosing the perforated portion of the bottom wall of said expansion chamber and having its front wall provided with minute air inlets and its rear wall with gas outlets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY ROBERT NORTHOVER.

Witnesses:

An'rnun SADLER, E. J. REESE. 

